Voices Of The Wilderness, an artist-in-residence program on the Tongass National Forest, Chugach National Forests and Western Arctic Parklands, will be accepting applications for 2014 summer residencies through Wednesday, Feb. 19.

2014 Voices Of The Wilderness artist residency applications accepted through Feb. 19021214
NEWS1Capital City Weekly Voices Of The Wilderness, an artist-in-residence program on the Tongass National Forest, Chugach National Forests and Western Arctic Parklands, will be accepting applications for 2014 summer residencies through Wednesday, Feb. 19.

Voices Of The Wilderness, an artist-in-residence program on the Tongass National Forest, Chugach National Forests and Western Arctic Parklands, will be accepting applications for 2014 summer residencies through Wednesday, Feb. 19.

This year, residencies will be offered in Tracy Arm-Ford's Terror Wilderness, Petersburg Ranger District Wilderness, Nellie Juan-College Fiord, Sitka Ranger District Wilderness and Western Arctic National Parklands.

The Voices of the Wilderness artist residency is modeled after traditional residencies in the national parks - but, with a twist. Instead of staying at a remote wilderness cabin, participating artists are paired with a wilderness ranger and actively engaged in stewardship projects, such as research, monitoring and education. The idea is to give artists a sense of the stewardship behind America's public lands through artistic exploration. The hoped-for result is artwork that communicates something of the meaning of these lands.

During their residency, each artist will assist with some basic ranger duties, which may include boarding a tour boat to provide education, participating in research projects, such as seal counts or climate change studies, walking a beach to remove litter, or other generally light duties. However, an emphasis for the artist will be experiencing the wilderness and exploring how to communicate its inspirational qualities through their artwork.

Residencies are open to artists and arts professionals in all media, including visual artists, musicians, filmmakers and writers. The residency period runs June through September; specific dates vary according to the residency.

Paper applications must be postmarked on or before Feb. 19. Emailed applications must be received no later than 11:59 p.m. on March 1. A panel of professional artists and Forest Service or Park Service employees will select artists based on artistic merit, their statement of purpose and appropriateness to a wilderness residency. Selections will be made by mid May.

Each artist will be provided the same safety training as other volunteers (includes aviation and boat safety, kayak safety, use of radios and satellite phones and review of Job Hazard Analyses). The Forest Service and National Park Service will provide transportation to and from the field, camping and kayaking gear, and in most cases, food as well.

Here's a closer look at the participating wilderness areas for 2014.

Tracy Arm-Ford's Terror Wilderness

Tracy Arm-Fords Terror Wilderness is located 50 miles south of Juneau. Each selected artist will accompany a wilderness ranger for up to nine days. Transport to the wilderness will be by float plane or skiff. During the field trip, the artist and ranger will divide their time between Holkham Bay and Tracy and Endicott Arms. While in Holkham Bay, they will stay in a rustic wall tent. While in the arms, they will travel by sea kayak and camp in a two-person tent. Artists will depart for the field from Juneau. Up to two artists will be selected to participate during the 2012 summer.

Work will be in one of these three wilderness areas on the Petersburg Ranger District: Tebenkof Bay, Kuiu, or Petersburg Creek-Duncan Salt Chuck Wilderness. Participating artists will be partnered with a ranger for a five to 10 day trip working on projects such as invasive plant eradication, solitude monitoring, or campsite inspections. The crew will live in small tents, travel by small boat or float plane, and spend days in what can be a cold, wet environment. One artist will be selected to participate during the 2014 summer. The artist will depart for the field from Petersburg.

The Nellie Juan-College Fiord Wilderness Study Area is located in western Prince William Sound in south central Alaska. Artists will be partnered with a ranger for seven days, participating in various wilderness stewardship duties, including invasive weed surveys, visitor contacts, solitude monitoring, campsite monitoring and air quality monitoring (such as collecting lichens). Up to two artists will be selected to participate during the 2014 summer. Artists will depart for the field from Girdwood, located about 40 miles southeast of Anchorage.

Contact Barbara Lydon at the Glacier Ranger District for further questions about Prince William Sound: 907-754-2318 or blydon@fs.fed.us.

Sitka Ranger District Wilderness

The West Chichagof-Yakobi Wilderness Area occupies the western portions of Chichagof and Yakobi islands in the extreme northwest portion of the Alexander Archipelago of Southeast Alaska. Artists-in-residence will join in a collaboration between the Sitka Ranger District and the Sitka Conservation Society in monitoring this Wilderness Area. Access will be by float plane or motorboat. Trips will consist of basecamps in remote locations or by roving monitoring from a sea kayak. Artists should be available for at least a two-week period to allow for adequate weather windows given the area's exposure to the wide-open Pacific Ocean.

Contact Jen MacDonald at the Sitka Ranger District for further questions about South Baranof: 907-747-4226 or jennifermacdonald@fs.fed.us.

Western Arctic National Parklands

Western Arctic National Parklands, located in the northwest corner of Alaska, consist of four Park units - Noatak National Preserve, Kobuk Valley National Park, Cape Krusenstern National Monument and Bering Land Bridge National Preserve. The majority of backcountry patrols utilize canoes for the Noatak and Kobuk Rivers. The selected artist for this residency will accompany one of our backcountry rangers on an 8-10 day river patrol of the Noatak or Kobuk River. Successful applicants will provide their own transportation to Kotzebue and provide their own food. NPS will provide all field gear and all backcountry flights. Outdoor skills resume required in order to receive consideration.

Contact Chief Ranger / Pilot Dan Stevenson at Western Arctic National Parklands for more information: 907-442-8306 or Dan_Stevenson@nps.gov.

Following their resdiency, each participant is expected to donate one piece of artwork to the hosting federal agency for use in publicizing the values of the public lands. Donated artwork should be representative of our public lands and communicate its inspirational or other values. Artwork should be delivered to the appropriate ranger district within six months of the residency.

Artists are also expected to provide one public presentation within six months of completing their residency, such as a slide lecture, demonstration, or workshop that publicizes the program and connects the community to its public lands. Other examples include a performance, explorative hike, or participation in the public lecture, such as the Mendenhall Glacier Visitor Center Fireside winter programs.